Author: Jan_Oliff.

A Fixed Price Estate Administration Service Could Save Bereaved Families up to 15%

A report on the cost of dying has highlighted that a bereaved family will spend £3,000 on average when hiring a legal professional to administer the estate of a loved one.  Administering an estate typically involves dealing with all of the assets associated with the person who has died, paying any debts and managing all of the legal and tax implications.

KingsCourtTrust200Last year, estate administration specialists Kings Court Trust [KCT] administered over 1,000 estates on behalf of families across the UK. Their average net fee for carrying out all of the legal and tax work associated with these cases was £2,549 – a saving of almost 15% compared to the industry average quoted in the research report.

Unlike the service offered by many traditional solicitors, KCT ’s comprehensive estate administration service comes with a guaranteed fixed price that is agreed up front with the customer.

This means that the family have complete peace of mind in knowing that the cost of the service will not change, regardless of the complexity of the case.

In contrast, many solicitors still use an hourly rate model which means that the final fee is dependent on the length of time that the estate takes to administer, which is often unknown until well into the estate administration process.

The report highlights the significant costs involved in someone passing away.

Professional fees often need to be met by the immediate family, so it goes without saying that they should shop around to find the service that best suits their needs.

Unfortunately, it is all too common for us to hear of families appointing the first solicitor or estate administration provider that they come across.  This often means that they end up paying over the odds for a service that they don’t fully understand.

We don’t believe this is fair for the family, which is why KCT takes the time to explain how the estate administration process works and provide a guaranteed, fixed price quote before any work is undertaken.

KCT offers a comprehensive estate administration service for a guaranteed fixed price.  For more information on their services or if you have any questions relating to the estate administration process give me a call and I will give you a personal introduction.

Jan Oliff Financial Planning is pleased to work with KCT in a business relationship that enables our firm to be alongside our clients as they make crucial financial decisions. Sometimes other financial planning can also be used to further reduce the final costs of estate settlement.

Majority Want Financial Advice to Deal with Retirement

upwardtrend200Recent research has shown that 86% of the population wants financial advice to help them prepare for their retirement, highlighting how many people do not feel confident in planning for this pivotal stage of their life.

The vast majority of people surveyed said that they want to ensure that they can financially support themselves during their retirement so that they do not become a burden to their loved ones.

However, due to a greater life expectancy, many clients are likely to experience a longer retirement than they had originally planned for.

This obviously means they will need access to more savings in order to support their lifestyle for a longer period, or reduce their expenditure during retirement.

One challenge which clients face is how to pass on their wealth without impacting on their own financial security during their retirement. Many people are actively looking for an adviser who has specialist knowledge on how to minimise the amount of Inheritance Tax (IHT) due on their estate and increase the amount they can leave for their loved ones.

Coupled with this, clients must plan for potential care costs which currently cost £29,000 per year on average, along with changes to tax or inflation which could dramatically affect how much they have to survive on during their retirement.

For many, retirement is a period of life to look forward to and enjoy after several decades of hard work.  However, these figures show how just many people feel overwhelmed with how to plan financially for this period of their life.

Tom Curran, Chief Executive of estate administration specialists Kings Court Trust, commented: “These figures highlight how the majority of the population is looking to plan for their retirement well in advance so that they do not become a financial burden to their loved ones.  Along with mitigating the impact of IHT and planning for care costs in later life, another element that clients need to consider is how their estate will be managed when they do pass away.

Estate administration can be a complex legal process, particularly for clients with a portfolio of assets and investments. Families will often turn to the financial adviser when dealing with the loss of a loved one, so a sound knowledge of the process is essential for an adviser to support their clients at this difficult time.”

We use sophisticated modelling to help our clients to see how their existing assets and financial planning can give them outcome they seek – or to show the expected shortfalls whilst there is still time to take action.

Your Residence And Inheritance Tax

BWhouseButton100The main residence nil rate band (RNRB) will be introduced on 6th April 2017 to apply to deaths on or after that date.

For those eligible to use it, it will be in addition to the standard nil rate band (NRB), currently £325,000 (and frozen at that level until April 2021).

In summary, the RNRB is intended to protect some or all of the value of the family home (or previous family home) from inheritance tax where the home (or, if the home has been disposed of, assets of equivalent value) is being passed on to children or grandchildren (or their spouses).

The RNRB will be phased in gradually from 2017/18 to 2020/2021 as follows:

  • £100,000 per person in 2017/18
  • £125,000 per person in 2018/19
  • £150,000 per person in 2019/20
  • £175,000 per person in 2020/21
  • and then increasing in line with CPI in subsequent years

The RNRB can be offset against the value of a property which has, at some time, been occupied as the family home as long as that home passes on death to the direct descendants of the deceased.

A direct descendant is defined as a child (including step-child, adopted child or foster child) or grandchild of the deceased. This includes the situation where the property is left to a direct descendant and their spouse or civil partner jointly, to a direct descendant’s spouse or civil partner solely, or to a direct descendant’s widow, widower or surviving civil partner who has not remarried or entered into another civil partnership at the time of death of the deceased.

The RNRB will be available when the individual dies on or after 6th April 2017. The transfer must be on death and can be made by will, under intestacy or as a result of the rule of survivorship.

An estate will be eligible for the proportion of the RNRB that is foregone as a result of downsizing or disposal of the property as an addition to the RNRB that can be used on death. In the Government Technical Note this is referred to as the ‘additional RNRB’. The qualifying conditions for the additional RNRB would be broadly the same as those for the RNRB.

Clearly there is a lot more to it than this so do take professional advice and not rely upon a limited knowledge of the rules. And ensure that you will including your living will, are up to date ~
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Judge Overturns Will After Brothers Challenge

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Eating Together at Work

I received a copy of research undertaken on Eating Together at Work, which I found fascinating.  How do we organise our lunchtimes in a small business?

In the past, whilst working in  Bristol, I would either pop out for a sandwich and usually bring it back to eat in the meeting room or, when I needed to think more creatively, walk to a local buzzy restaurant eat and enjoy the atmosphere.  I also used lunch as a way of doing staff reviews and establishing a deeper understanding of clients.

Lunch times are not only a time to rest and recover from the morning but also very important to share informally, with colleagues.  Most of us are social beings, who need to exchange ideas, provide and receive emotional support and get fresh air and exercise.

As the owner of a small firm I stopped the temptation for staff eating at their desk by providing a space, comfortable and flexible seating and the basics of a kettle and fridge.  I also ensured privacy for those who wanted it. Monthly practice meetings were in house and catered.

Reading the Eating Together at Work also brought back some bad experiences of working within other firms and in particular a high street Bank.

I realised how little respect the Directors have for their customer facing staff when confronted by the Staff Room!

If employers treat their  staff without respect, why expect the staff to treat customers fairly.  You do not get the best out of people that way.

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